Railway-rail brace.



PA'IENIEDy JULY 18, 1905.

H. H. SPONBNBURG.

RAILWAY RAIL BRACE.

APPLIoATIoN FILED nu 1. 190s.

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INVENTOR A i60/M173 d v ATTORNEY.

No. 795,01l. I PATENTED JULY 18, 1905. E. E. SPONBNBURG.

RAILWAY RAIL BRAGE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 1, 1905.

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Patented July 18, 1905.

PATENT Finca.

HIRAM HORT SPONENBURG, OF WADSWORTH, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO EDWARD LAAS, OF OTTUMWA, lOl/VA.

RAILWAY-RAIL BRACE SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 795,011, dated July 18, 1905.

Appnmat filed May 1, 1905. serai No. 258,169.

T0 all 107mm@ t 71mg/ concern:

Be it known that I, HIRAM HoR'r SroNnN- BURG, of Vadswoi-th, in the county of Lake, in the State of illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements ip Railway-Rail Braces, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to the class of devices which are applied to railway-rails for the purpose of bracing the same laterally to sustain the rail in proper alinement with the track and to maintain a perfect gage thereof.

The present invention bears special relation with the form of rail-brace shown and described in my prior application for patent, liled February 4, 1905, Serial No. 244,089, and allowed March 14, 1905, the object of the invention being to increase the efliciency and durability of such rail-brace, as will be hereinafter fully explained.

To that end the invention consists in the novel details of construction, as will be apparent in the following description and in the accompanying drawings, in which-w Figure 1 is a side view of the improved brace applied to a rail and crosstie. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of the baseplate which is fastened to the cross-tie. Fig. 4 is an inverted plan view of said plate. the rail-brace, showing its operation for permitting shims t0 be applied to the track. Fig. 6 shows an inner face View of the post formed on the base-plate, and Fig. 7 is a detail inner face view of the back-plate and breast.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Adenotes the railway-rail, which is secured upon the cross-tie B by means of the usual spikes L fr..

O represents the base of the rail-brace, which consists of a cast-metal plate of any suitable shape and is disposed llatwise upon the cross-tie atl the outer side of the rail. This base-plate is provided with a series of apertures Y), preferably formedsquare, for the reception of spikes c c, by which it is rigidly se- Fig. 5 is a side view of cured to said cross-tie. The upper face of the said base-plate is provided with lugs a' a', disposed transversely thereof and at the front and rear edges of the said apertures?) b, upon which lugs the heads of the spikes c c are adapted to bear, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. These lugs serve to` provide a space between the plate and spikeheads, whereby the usual and well-known* claw-bar can be readily inserted under the heads to permit the spikes to be easily withdrawn when required.

The lower face of the base-plate O is provided with a series of short ribs disposed longitudinally in relation to the cross-tie and which are tapered toward the rail and also tapered transversely, as clearly shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6 of the drawings. These ribs become embedded in the cross-tie when the spikes c c are driven firmly into the said tie, and they effectually assist the spikes in sustaining the base-plate thereon, as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings. The said base-plate is formed at its inner end with a post D, consisting of a plate facing the rail A. 1 prefer to provide the plate and post with webs e c c, which increase the strength thereof to more eectually resist the outward strain of the rail on the post.

E denotes a breast which is shaped to abut against the stem of the rail and also bear on the top of the rail-ange CZ and against the under side of the rail-head, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 5 of the drawings. Said breast projects from and is cast integral with a back plate F, which is provided at its opposite sides with vertically-grooved flangesff, which engage the sides of the post D, whereby the plate is permitted to be raised and lowered. By this movement of the breast the brace is rendered self-adjusting, whereby the rail is allowed to be readily elevated from the crosstie for the purpose of placing the shims (y g between the cross-tie and rail, as illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawings. to persons familiar with railway construction that these shims are employed more particularly during winter, when certain portions of the track are required to be raised to conform It is well known l to'those portions which have been heaved by the action of frost in the road-bed. The said back plate Fextends below the breast to form a flange L, disposed between the rail-fiange d and post D and which serves as a bearing for the rail-ange. This bearing-flange 7L constitutes one of the salient features of the present invention, wherein it relieves the post from wear and abrasion, which it has been found by experience is liable to be produced in instances where the rail-flange bears'directly against the post, as shown in my prior construction hereinbefore referred to. It has also been found by experience that in applying the former brace to the track in some cases the rail-spikes have interfered somewhat with placing the base-plate C in proper position in relation to the rail, and thus required the spikes to be withdrawn and replaced at the side of the said base-plate. This inconvenience is overcome by the present construction, wherein lies one of the most important features of the invention. To attain this object, I provide the post D in its lower portion with an opening c and provide the back plate F with a coinciding opening (Z, which openings accommodate the head of the rail-spike, as clearly shown in Figs. 2, 4, 6. and 7 of the drawings. The opening is of sufficient depth to permit the rail to be raised when required for the purpose aforesaid.

What I claim is* 1. The improved rail-brace comprising a post supported rigidly on the cross-tie, and a movable member sustained on said post and abutting against the side of the rail, and provided with abearing for the edge of the railiange for the purpose set forth.

2. The improved rail-brace comprising a post supported rigidly on the cross-tie, and a vertically-movable breast sustained on said post and abutting against the side of the rail and provided with a horizontal flange at its bottom bearing against the edge of the railiiange for the purpose set forth.

3. A railway-rail brace comprising a baseplate rigidly fastened to the cross-tie and free from the rail-flange, and formed at its inner end with a post, and a breast sustained Vertically movable on said post and abutting against the side of the rail and provided with a horibears, and the lower portions of the post and plate formed with coinciding openings to acomlnodate the heads of the rail-spikes as set ort 5. A railway-rail brace comprising a baseplate provided with apertures for the reception of spikes for fastening the same to the crosstie and formed on its lower face with a series of ribs disposed longitudinally in relation to the cross-tie and embedded therein, said ribs being tapered toward the rail and transversely and serving to assist the spikes in sustaining the base-plate in its position, a post formed integral with the said base-plate, and a breast sustained vertically movable on the post and abutting against the side of the rail as set forth.

6. A railway-rail brace comprising a baseplate provided with apertures for the reception of spikes for fastening the same to the crosstie and formed on its lower face with ribs disposed longitudinally in relation to the crosstie and embedded therein, said ribs being tapered toward the rail and also transversely and serving to assist the spikes in sustaining the base-plate in its position, a post formed on the inner end of the said base-plate and consisting of a plate facing the rail, and a breast abutting against the side of the rail and formed integral with a back plate provided with vertically-grooved iianges'engagingthe sides of the post to permit the breast to be raised and lowered with the rail, said back plate extending below the breast and forming a bearing for the edge of the rail-flange, and the said plate and post formed with coinciding openings in their lower portions to accommodate the rail-spike as set forth and shown.

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